A petition has been launched to hold a referendum to slash the funding of The University Times, including making the paper’s editor an unpaid position.
The petition seeks to remove multiple clauses from the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) constitution concerning the financing of the paper.
The petition proposes that these clauses be replaced with: “Provision of financial resources towards publication and related expenses, excluding salaries or wages.”
“This essentially makes the University Times a voluntary newspaper”, it says.
As it stands, an elected student takes a sabbatical year from their studies to serve as the paper’s editor. The editor is the only paid staff member in the paper.
The petition will require 500 signatures to trigger a referendum.
In a statement, Editor of The University Times Emer Moreau said: “I’m devastated that students are calling for this referendum. Just three years after a similar attempt to effectively abolish the newspaper, we are faced yet again with a snap decision about the long-term future of The University Times, following our uncovering of elitist, misogynist cultures and practices in Trinity. Will this happen every time we attempt to hold the most powerful societies in College accountable for their actions?”
“In 2019, students overwhelmingly voted to save the paper, and we started a very important conversation about the value of student media and the importance of holding various bodies in Trinity to account”, Moreau continued,
“I understand that students have concerns about our reporting and various decisions we’ve made this year. We will be commissioning an external investigation into accusations of improper journalistic practice, and we will hold a student-wide town hall meeting in the coming days where students can air their concerns with us.”
“I would urge students to engage with us before signing a petition to curtail Trinity’s free press and destroy a vital resource for students”, she continued. “The University Times is a student-run organisation with over 60 volunteer staff who have worked so hard this year to produce excellent journalism for their peers. It’s a place where students can gain invaluable experience and be part of a community in College.”
In the TCDSU elections earlier this month, the paper’s current Deputy Editor, Mairead Maguire, was the sole candidate for editor of the paper, but a majority of students voted to re-open nominations for the role.
In 2019, a referendum was held on the same issue. Some 74 per cent of voters voted against slashing the paper’s funding.
Calls for the referendum came after The University Times reported on hazing conducted by the Knights of the Campanile.
